Winter Storm Lock Down
by GrovyleFangirl1997
Summary: (AU) When Nova Stratosphere wonders off, she ends up in a live or death situation. Before death could take her, Toffee comes to her rescue, but gets injured in the process. Wanting to help him recover, she loses track of time and is trapped by the raging storm. With his generosity, she's allowed to stay at his castle, but as time goes on, will she want to leave?
1. Prologue

Long ago, in the magical land of Mewni, lived two races of people; Monsters and Mewmans.  
The two races have long fought over the land for many years, many lives lost to war and destruction.  
Finally tired of losing loved ones on each side, the only conclusion they came to was splitting the land apart.

Mewmans would occupy the East while the Monsters would occupy the West.  
That's how it had stayed for centuries, until one day, two unlikely lovers proved both races can live in harmony.


	2. Chapter 1

"I'm heading out!" the young princess shouted to her father.

"Have fun Nova dear, and be sure to be home soon; clouds are starting to build up," her father instructed.

"I'll take my coat just in case," Nova said as the maids wrapped her into her favorite yellow fluffy coat and with that, Nova was off.

She pasted by a multitude of shops selling freshly baked bread or new fabrics now available to the public. The things her people had did were neat, but she wanted to know more about the very land that supplied them with the wonders they use to survive and the only place that can give her answers and new things to examine was "The Forest of Certain Death", the very place where no one would dare enter, but Nova Stratosphere was the person who dared.

She put it upon herself to explore every corner she could of this land: every specimen, every living plant form, every vegetation. Her mother and her people may not approve of her to do this, but she knew there was some appreciation of her attempts.

For starters, they wouldn't have known that the wild unicorns around were capable of being tamed and used for riding. They wouldn't have known about this goat-pig hybrid that has the most succulent milk and meat, serving good for the calzones's cheese and great rump-roast. Or that the Wailing flower helps with babies to sleep better with it's 'singing'.

But those were small victories to Nova; she knew there was much more to learn about the land, even secrets that needed to be discovered. As she walked deeper into the forest, passing by the giant plant monsters she called "Killer Vice-grips" and the trees she marked from where her discoveries were found from that day, she grew concerned when she felt herself reaching the borders of the East and the West. Once she passed the last marked tree, she saw the borderline right in front of her, the only thing that children are warned about, and their children, and their children's children.

Nova sighed; she would have no choice but to turn back and report to her family that she's done all the exploring she can do, at least that's what a normal person would've done. She stepped forwards towards the border and mustered the courage to cross over, discovering a brand new flower.

The flower was a Crimson red, almost like blood even, with a rustic red stem. What stood out to Nova was the fact each stem had two flowers attached together, almost like a Hydra. Quickly grabbing her sketchbook and pencil, she sketched out the flower before taking a sample of it to examine back at the castle. Once she finished her sketch, she saw a single snowflake fall to the ground, signifying she needed to return home quick, but where were the marked trees?!

"I must've gone in too deep," Nova thought to herself, trying to think where the last marked tree was. She grew restless; if she couldn't find those trees she would surely die in the forest during the winter storms, and that would be just one of the ways she could go. After roaming around, she saw a silhouette of a person, maybe they could help her find her way home! "Hello! Excuse me, could you help me please?!"

The figure soon started to move, but in quite an unusual way; the lower part of the body looked to be struggling to stay up, soon to Nova's surprise the figure 'split' in two, then started snarling back at her. The figure was none other than two Mewni wolves, and they led Nova right into their trap!

Mewni wolves are nearly eight feet tall when standing on their hind legs and can commit all sorts of trickery to lure prey. Though, the most distinct feature about these creatures was that they inject venom into their prey when they bite their victims!

Nova doesn't know how the venom will affect a Mewman, nor does she wish to find out! Before one of the wolves could have given the signal to alert the pack, Nova fled deeper into the opposite direction that was home, dodging tree branches and passing by boulders on her way. Despite her efforts to escape, the wolves were right behind her, and there was more than just two of them following her; the crinkling of the leaves from behind Nova made her fear that the number had increased to six, seven at most. Taking no chances, she grabbed a branch from a decaying tree and launched it towards one of the wolves, knocking it off it's feet. Her victory was short lived when she fell down, leaves crunching under her body and mud splashing onto her face. Nova tried to get up, but her foot was stuck in the roots of a dying tree, even if she got her foot out, she was too late.

The wolves have circled around her; preventing her any means of escape. The alpha slowly walked towards it's prey, venom and drool dripping from its jaws.

This was it; this was how Nova Stratosphere meets Death, by the jaws of a Mewni Wolf and its pack. Reluctantly, Nova closed her eyes, waiting for the venom to take affect in her bloodstream, but nothing happened. She heard the sound of teeth colliding with flesh, so why isn't she dying a slow and painful death? Slowly opening her eyes, Nova saw a tall figure taking the bite of the venomous wolf!

"Run!" The figure shouted, snapping the princess out of her shocked state and finally working to get her foot out of the root.

Once she was free, she hid herself inside a decaying tree, listening to the snarling of the wolves and the tearing of flesh. After a while, whimpers from the wolves were heard as well as their retreating patters of their paws. Thinking it was safe, Nova come out of the tree to see her injured hero.

He was a tall gray scaled anthropomorphic lizard with yellow eyes and dark gray hair. Despite being a monster, he was dressed exceptionally well with a white shirt, dark gray pants held up by a wrap around belt, and black boots. He would have been formal-attire ready for a date or fancy party if it weren't for the cuts and bruises he received from the fight, cutting through his cloths revealing his bulging muscles.

Even though Nova should be concerned by her close encounter with the monster in front of her, she couldn't help but stare at all the injuries he had, as well as the venom running through his bloodstream.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding in pain despite hiding it.

"I-I got lost and ended up here," Nova stuttered, "I'm just trying to find my way back before it snows."

He glared at her, remaining weary of her actions despite her 'innocent' demeanor. "Head straight through those trees and you'll be back in the East side of Mewni," he responded.

Nova stared at the trees, but couldn't think of leaving; on one hand, she'll be home, but on the other hand, the person who saved her life could die a slow and painful death with the venom and approaching cold weather. Despite her want to be home, her sense of repayment was stronger. "I can't leave yet, you're hu-" she was stopped when she noticed her mysterious hero vanished suddenly. She soon found the bloody trail leading deeper into the West side, but with her desire to help her hero told her to not hesitate. She followed the trail quickly, unaware of the free falling snowflakes behind her.


	3. Chapter 2

Nova followed the trail for what felt like hours to her; who ever her rescuer was, he certainly had a lot of stamina for someone who was attacked by Mewni wolves. Soon the trail had led her to an impressive looking castle with a large gate guarding the fortress should it ever be attacked.

Near the opening of the gates was Nova's rescuer, holding on to the gate's bars struggling to stand up straight. Nova quickly threw him over her shoulders, feeling him cringe from her touch. To Nova's surprise, he got heavier once she had a good grip on him; the new contact must have shocked him so much that he passed out. Wasting no time, she pushed the gate open and carried him into his castle.

Once they were inside, Nova rushed in to what she believed was the study hall and placed the monster in a chair near the fireplace. Once she positioned him up right, she walked off into the depths of the castle to gather firewood, warm water, and bandages for her rescuer. Before she did anything else, she remembered she didn't closed the gates when she entered. She thought someone from the castle would have closed it for them, but no one attended to the door. Putting it to thought, she never realized how empty the castle looked; no one came out of the castle to help their master. She pushed those thoughts aside and quickly attended to the gate, locking it up then rushing back into the castle, unaware of the clouds gathering around.

* * *

Returning to the study hall with everything she needed, Nova placed the warm water near the legs of the chair with the bandages nearby then proceeded to start the fire. Placing the wood properly, she flickered a match and placed it into the fire, soon feeling the warmth of the fire's glow.

As the fire's warmth grew stronger, Nova heard the lizard man stir from his unconscious state.

"You're awake!" she shouted excitedly, grabbing the lizard man's attention.

"Shouldn't you be returning to Mewni?" he asked.

"I couldn't leave you injured; after all the venom from those wolves will-"

"Mewni wolf venom isn't strong enough to kill my kind, just slows down my healing factor," he interrupted her.

"Immune to venom?! That's amazing! You must have a special chemical within your blood cells that allow you to fight the venom's effects! If I could figure out what this chemical is, many lives can be saved in a year!"

"Could you not scream right now; the venom may not be able to kill me, but it can cause a killer headache," the lizard man uttered while holding his head.

"Sorry," Nova sputtered as she covered her mouth to prevent any more loud noises from escaping. Once she felt her excitement die down, she looked a little ashamed.

The lizard man noticed the Mewni Princess's expression. "What's troubling you?" he asked her, causing Nova to jump at his question.

"Promise you won't get mad?" she asked timidly.

"I can't make any promises, but I assure you, I am a reasonable monster," he assured her.

Nova took a deep breath and sighed, "I need you to take off your shirt. Not that I want to see you naked, I just need to clean your wounds! So, um... please take off your shirt." She could feel herself growing red as the anticipation of the atmosphere grew greater. It became so great, she hid her face into her hands, not about to look at the lizard man's face.

He shook his head and sighed at her actions, a little amused by her squeamish nature. "There's nothing to be ashamed of," he told her as he got up from his seat and unbuttoned his shirt.

Nova soon dropped her hands and watched as the lizard man strip out of the tattered shirt, growing more redder than the tomatoes used in calzones's sauce.

"You're only asking these things because you believe it'll be beneficial to my health, and I appreciate your efforts. Besides, these clothes will be of no use for me," he spoke, shuffling the shirt off of his body and watched the once squeamish Mewman spring into action to clean his injuries. "But if I may ask; why go so far as to help a monster? You are Mewman after all."

She admits, even doing this selfless act was a bit odd for her to be doing, both being different species and all, but she knew her answer. "You saved my life didn't you? I had to repay you even if you are a monster," she answered.

The lizard man just looked at the Mewman in utter disbelief, but was willing to accept her generosity; it wasn't everyday that you meet a Mewman so open to the thought of meeting a monster and helping them.

* * *

"There," Nova uttered as she wrapped the last bandage onto the lizard man's body, she then gave him some new clothes, "Don't worry, I won't peek."

"How can I be so sure you won't?" he asked, accepting the clothing she gave him.

"I promise, I'll just stare out the windo- OH NO!" she shouted as she stared out the window to see the winter storm whirling through, "The storm's here! I'll never get home!"

The lizard man heard the Mewman's distress and sighed, "I'd be more than happy to lend you my home as shelter for the winter."

"R-Really? I don't want to be a bother to you," Nova commented.

"I'm sure of it," he responded, buttoning up his new shirt, "Now come along, I'll be showing you to your room."

Nova quickly followed after him through the castle's hallways. "By the way, my name's Nova," she said out of the blue, making the monster looked at her in a questionable manner. "I thought, since we're going to be in here for the next three months, I thought it would be good if we knew each other's names. So what's your name?"

The monster hesitated at first, but knew she was right; the time spent together will be long and it would be mandatory to address one another in a civil way. "Toffee."

"Well, I hope we have a great time together Toffee."


	4. Chapter 3

Nova grew more fascinated by the castle she and Toffee wondered through; the cinder block walls draped with dark gray and red drapes hanging from the ceiling. "You have interesting taste," she said, trying to break the silence between the two, but failing. Finally, the two stopped in front of a door.

"You'll be staying here for the time being, should you ever need anything, I'll be next door," Toffee proclaimed, as he opened the door, revealing an extraordinary guest room with a wooden desk with file cabinets filled with paper and envelopes. A closet with compartments for the clothes and for the shoes, but the most eye catching object in the room was the enormous bed with the reddest of sheets. Upon touch, the blankets were soft and warm, capable of providing comforting nights.

Pushing her hand down, Nova discovered how comfortable the bed really was, the plush material allowed whoever was resting on it to feel as if they were sleeping in the clouds of the Storm dimension. She looked up at Toffee and smiled, "Thank you, this is a wonderful room."

The lizard man simply nodded back to her and looked over at the desk. "Your family must be worried about you, why don't you write them a letter to let them know you're okay," he insisted.

"But how would I send it if you have no messengers?" questioned Nova as she walked over to the desk and grabbed some paper.

"Burn the letter."

"But that would destroy the letter, not send it!" proclaimed Nova.

"Don't worry, the letters and paper are made out of a special material that'll allow you to send a letter through fire; just write down the recipient's name and the letter will be delivered by a flame near that said person," he explained.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Nova exclaimed, excited to use this form of writing, "But what should I write?"

"Just tell them that a 'Good Samaritan' allowed you to be sheltered for the winter," Toffee proclaimed.

"You don't want me to tell them about you?" asked Nova.

"What are the chances they may attack me in Spring? After all, I am a monster."

"Guess you do have a point there," she said as she stared at the paper.

"I'll be down stairs preparing dinner, you can come down whenever you feel ready," he stated, leaving Nova to herself and the letter.

She soon grabbed the feathered pen and started writing.

* * *

 _Dear King and Queen Stratosphere,_

 _I'm sorry for the formalities with you mother and father, but I'm still learning about this new way of messaging. Aside from my rambling, I would like to notify you on my condition; as you can see the winter storms have come to the land, but do not fret. I am being a guest at a Good Samaritan's castle for the winter. Once these violent storms end, I'll be returning to you and my sisters. I await the wonderful sun to return again so I can see your faces again._

 _Sincerely your daughter,  
Princess Stratosphere_

* * *

Once she send the letter to her parents, and washed the mud on her face, Nova wondered through the castle, trying to find the dining room. She knew she should have asked Toffee for a tour of the castle before he walked off to make dinner. Soon, she caught a whiff of an extraordinary smell. Following it through the castle, she finally found the dining room and upon arriving, found a freshly baked calzone on the table side!

"I wasn't exactly sure what you would have desired, so I thought I'd make a favorite among your people," she heard Toffee say at the other end of the table.

"Thank you," uttered Nova, however, looking at the table's distance and the Calzone's placement, she noticed she was far away from the lizard man. Despite knowing about the heat of the plate, she picked it up and placed it in front of the seat next to Toffee. "I thought it would be better if we sat close to each other," she commented as she seated herself down.

"If you insist," he responded going back to his food which to Nova's surprise was a simple salad.

"No offense but why a salad?" Nova asked.

"I wasn't that hungry, besides, it'll help me recover faster," he explained, "Now hurry and eat your food, you don't want it to get cold do you?"

Nova knew he was right; calzones were never tasty when they were cold. Picking up the calzone the best she could she bit down right in the middle, absorbing the wonderful flavors of the bread and cheese together, but upon waiting for a voice to come out, nothing happened. She stared at the calzone in utter disbelief; something this good would have given her at least a remark or something.

"What seems to be troubling you?" Toffee asked.

"It just... normally when you take your first bite into a calzone, they tell you how you're going to die and well..." Nova tried to explain but felt it was offending the lizard man's cooking.

"I understand what you're saying, you see, Mewmans haven't learned the proper technique when it comes to cooking calzones. In order to prevent the calzone from speaking, you want to properly kill the yeast inside the dough to make a cuisine that's meant to be a flavorful, not something that talks back," explained the lizard man.

"Wow, so all this time we haven't properly killed the yeast?" wondered Nova, "This is an amazing discovery in the culinary world! Thank you so much for teaching me this, Toffee!"

"Don't forget to eat."

"Right," she sputtered going back to her calzone.

* * *

After finishing up dinner and putting the plates away, Toffee took a look at Nova's burned hands. After seeing her move the plate while it was still extremely hot, he knew there was going to be damage.

"Aw c'mon Toffee, I'm fine," she whined.

"I'd rather have it that these burns don't cause any harm to you," he insisted while cleaning the burns then wrapping bandages around them, "After all, you are my guest; I have to make sure you don't get hurt."

Nova sighed at the lizard man's intentions, but couldn't help but be grateful; after all, he saved her life, provided her shelter from the storm, cooked the best calzone she ever tasted, and now this. Certainly, she was indebted to him. "Thank you," she said once more.

"Your welcome," he finally responded after wrapping the final bandage onto her hand. "It's late, we best be off to bed."

Nova agreed, feeling herself grow drowsy from all the adrenaline earlier and the food that she ate. She and Toffee walked on upstairs in complete silence and upon arrival, she said her good nights to Toffee and walked into the room. Before long she was dressed in a nightgown she found in the closet and laid down in bed, slowly being lulled to sleep by the sound of the winter winds.


	5. Chapter 4

Morning soon arrived for the young princess, waking up to find the unfamiliarity of the room, but in a matter of seconds, she remembered her reason for being here. She met an anthropomorphic lizard monster who saved her life and in return she wanted to help him recover from his wounds, only to lose the time she needed to return home. Now she's to stay in his castle until Spring arrives. Nova never thought she'd sleep comfortably in a stranger's house, but tonight proved otherwise. Maybe because of the mattress's plush texture and warmth from the blankets made her forget she was in another person's house.

Finally getting out of the comforts of her bed, Nova walked off to the door she didn't see from her first time and opened it to see a washroom. Immediately, she turned on the facet and washed up, feeling refreshed after a good wash up. After drying up, Nova walked over to the closet and picked out a light yellow V-Neck dress with long sleeves. It may not be enough to warm someone up, but with the temperature in the castle remaining as warm as it is, it was enough to sustain her for the day. Once she was dressed, Nova sat in front of the drawer, and gave her hair the works. Not much was needed to be done since she was going to be staying inside of the castle, but she never liked it when her hair was a mess. After a few strokes of the brush, her hair was softened out and tangle free; she was ready for her first day in the castle.

Exiting her room, Nova wondered off to the dining room, but found Toffee no where near the table or the kitchen, not even the study hall. If she had an understanding of the castle, she'd look in the other rooms, but having no idea how many rooms are in the structure and not knowing the boundaries set by Toffee, chances are she'd enter a forbidden room if she wasn't careful. Left with only one option, she walked back to the hall and stood in front of Toffee's room. She knew she shouldn't be afraid to knock, but something about an invitation to the Lizard Man's room felt very suspicious. Despite ever fiber in her body telling her to run away, her sentiment told her to check on him. Finally she knocked on the door, only to receive no response. She knocked again, still no response.

Not wanting to give up, she clasped on to the handle, and pushed gently on the door, trying her best to remain as quiet as possible. Once she made a big enough gap to allow little light and herself in, she looked over at the bed, there she saw the lizard man, sleeping peacefully under the warm sheets of his bed despite the injuries he bears. Nova was surprised to see him still in bed, then again he did tell her that the venom Mewni wolves have gives his species killer headaches. Chances are, they knock him out like a light, so him still resting is reasonable.

 _"Well,"_ thought Nova, _"I mustn't waste my time."_

Closing the door behind her, Nova slowly walked over to a chair, quietly moved it closer to the bed, and sat there; watching the Lizard Man sleep. Her eyes wondered around the figure that was occupying the bed, watching the way his chest rose and fell as he breathed, the softness of the muscles in the Lizard Man's face, and the messy midnight hair resting atop his pillow.

Never has she been so fascinated with anyone in her life. Sure, she and her sisters would have to be wedded to a prince once they're of age, but none of the princes really lived up to Nova's standards; they were either too snobby, thrash around too much, or somewhere in between, but the one thing that ticked Nova off the most was their lack of desire to know more. Toffee on the other hand, he's noble, he's kind, he's open-minded; everything Nova wanted in a prince. Sadly, she knew that would never happen; after all, she was a Mewman and he was a monster.

Thinking on it, even calling Toffee a monster felt wrong; he's been anything but a monster! He's been a gentleman ever since he saved her from those ravenous wolves! But who was she kidding; she's only known him for one day; for all she knows he could be a real monster who will probably eat her, or torment her, or even worse. And what are the chances that he's not lying and really is who she thought him to be? Even if he truly was noble, how would her family accept the fact that their daughter was friends with a monster?

All her thoughts slipped away once she heard Toffee groaning in pain as he rose from his slumber. Holding his head, he turned to where Nova was at, staring at her in question. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice a little shaky, but still firm.

Nova was in a state of panic; how is she going to explain the reason why she was in his room?! She can't just say 'Oh, I was here to check on your wounds', because of the lack of physical evidence! If this was going to end her stay in the castle, she might as well accept her fate and tell the truth. "I was looking for you," she started, "But when I couldn't find you in any of the rooms I knew my last resort was here. When I saw you, I couldn't help but stay."

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Honestly... I don't know," Nova answered, partially lying about her answer.

The Lizard Man patted at the Mewman's head softly, feeling the silkiness of her black hair. "It's alright," he responded, "Why don't you go down stairs and wait for me there. I'll get dressed and then we can have some breakfast."

"Yes sir," Nova responded with a smile on her face. She grabbed the chair and moved it back to it's place, and walked out on the Lizard Man to give him his privacy. Though deep down... Nova wouldn't have mind seeing those muscles of his again.


	6. Chapter 5

Once Toffee was up and dressed for the day, he walked down stairs to find Nova sitting at the dining table with her bag, shuffling through its contents, eventually pulling out a notepad and a pencil like object. She looked up at Toffee and gleamed with delight.

"Ah, just in time," she commented, getting out of her seat and walking over to him, "If it's not much of a bother to you Toffee, I would love to see your cooking methods."

"Why would you want to do that?" asked Toffee.

"After you told me about properly killing the yeast to prevent calzones from speaking horrid things, I figured there would be a multitude of different cooking methods we as Mewmans don't know about. And I'm just dying to find out what these different tactics are," she exclaimed, "So will you please let me observe you? I promise I won't interrupt you while you're cooking."

Toffee was on the verge of saying no, but upon seeing Nova's pleading eyes he couldn't argue with his guest. "I suppose it would be beneficial to your kind, now would it?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" she squealed, hugging Toffee very lightly to avoid injuring him any further, "Thank you so much!" Once she let him go, he walked into the kitchen with the Mewman princess following from behind.

* * *

Once breakfast was complete, Nova went through her notes while eating the breakfast BLT she watched Toffee construct for them. Going through them she's learned quite a lot about the chef's movements, the importance of hygiene, the tools **REALLY** necessary for certain procedures and their proper function. All these procedures and precautions formed this scrumptious sandwich before her.

"How much did you write?" asked Toffee.

She reviewed the notes for so long she didn't even realize Toffee had finished breakfast before her. "Just enough to help the chefs in the castle and fellow cooks in the village," she commented, biting in her sandwich once again.

"Might if I see your notes?"

"Sure," she wiped her hands down on a napkin and passed the notes over to Toffee, "Here you go."

While the Mewman princess was eating away at her breakfast, Toffee read through the notes she took while he was cooking. "You're very attentive to detail, aren't you?"

The Mewman princess blushed, not many out of her family compliment her on her notes. "I try to be observant when I'm making new discoveries," she admitted, finishing the last of her orange juice.

"Really? Don't suppose you have more notes?" he asked.

"In fact, I do!" exclaimed Nova excitedly, as she grabbed her bag and took out her sketchbook, "Along with note writing, I draw the specimen in front of me. Whether it be a plant or animal."

Toffee opened the sketchbook to see she had indeed paid close attention to details, from the fur, to the iris in every creature. "Quite impressive from a Mewman," he commented.

"I know most Mewman would shun the idea of learning about something new, but where's the fun in doing the same old thing when you can try so many different things," she responded, "By the way Toffee, since now the time is a little more appropriate I was wondering if you'd give me a tour of the castle. I kind of got lost the other day trying to get to the dining hall," she admitted.

"Of course," he answered, "But finished your breakfast first; it's not healthy to skimp on meals."

"Okay!"

* * *

Toffee and Nova wondered through the halls of Toffee's vast castle, going through different rooms for guest and multi-purpose rooms. One room in particular caught Nova's attention; the room was painted in a golden color, tiled with a sandy colored marble fitted for dancing. Rustic red curtains covering the giant windows of the room, hiding the snow show behind them, but the most impressive thing that caught Nova's attention was the piano in an arch like area kept far from the dance floor.

"This is beautiful," commented Nova looking at the ceiling's golden chandeliers, "You must get a lot of guest during the active months."

"I do, but I bet its nothing compared to the royal gatherings in Mewni," commented Toffee.

"It is pretty big, but I never really cared to stay; I prefer to stay in the library and review my discoveries," Nova remarked.

"You enjoy reading that much?"

"Oh yes, though most of the books we have are mostly spell books for my older sister, or worse; the history of Mewni."

"Hm?"

"I just don't understand why we can't just share the land we live on! It's like saying one side has cooties!" Nova ranted, unaware of her loud noise until she saw Toffee holding him head, "Sorry."

"It's quite alright, I too, question the decisions of society," he uttered walking away from the room.

"Where are we going now?"

"A place I believe you might enjoy," foreshadowed Toffee as he walked over to two large doors. Opening the doors, the room's flooring was a rustic red carpet with walls transferring to a bronze like color, but that wasn't the reason why Toffee thought Nova might like this room. Inside it contained shelves upon shelves of books, from anatomy of different animals to the study of a plant's inner digestive system.

"Oh my Mewni," gasped Nova, walking into the room and taking in its vast collection of books.

"I take it you like it?"

"Like it? I love it! Thank you so much Toffee!" She giggled and hugged him once again, eventually letting go and wondering off into the jungle of a library. Upon walking through the shelves's trails, she realized that she was on the Western side of Mewni, she could do some research and find out what other creatures live here, especially the plant life! She will not stop until she figured out what the Crimson red flower was called and it's significance!

* * *

 **Hello guys, GrovyleFangirl1997 talking. As I was writing this chapter, I discovered that "Winter Storm Lock Down" has reached over 1,000+ reads! I would like to thank you all so much for your support and your reviews, this story wouldn't have gone on without it. Once again, thank you so much.**


	7. Chapter 6

Picking every book on plant and wild life on the Western side of Mewni, Nova quickly went to reading; studying the different plants and animals that are exclusive to the West. To her surprise she found a wild boar-goat hybrid, cousin to the tamed pig-goat that the Mewmans raise for meat. Skimming through the pages, she even found out that they are an excellent source of protein and have various recipes for the meat.

As for plants of interest, Nova took interest in a Killer Vice-grip much more smaller and tamer that the ones on her side of Mewni. Instead of eating Mewmans and bigger creatures, this plant aims for more of the pest-like creatures that swarm near it's territory.

Despite all these interesting creatures and plants, none of the books had any information about the crimson flower. Could it be so rare that even the monsters haven't written about it?

Nova sighed; a flower so beautiful yet so hidden from the world is a discovery she wishes to understand more about. Disappointed, she left the library to meet up with Toffee in the dining hall for supper. Once there, she found Toffee setting up bowls of beef stew in front of the chairs they normally sat at, accompanied by a glass of water and silver ware. In front of the plates was also a single basket of freshly baked dinner rolls with steam still escaping from them. She took her seat in front of the food and took in it's warm aroma and feeling.

"Smells delicious," sighed Nova as she stared at the chucks of meat swirling in the liquid.

"I thought you would've wanted to try Wild Boar-Goat meat tonight, considering you were reading about them," he commented, taking his seat beside her.

"Were you spying on me?" she asked, immediately breaking out of her depressed state.

"Not at all; I simply wanted to catch up on some reading and we just happen to be sitting at the same table. I must say Miss Nova, you are very studious when you read; you didn't even realize I was right beside you," he commented as he brought a spoonful of soup to his mouth.

Nova was shocked, all that time he was right next to her and she didn't even pay attention?! She couldn't help but feel bad; an opportunity to spend time together and all they did was read without even uttering a world to each other; how rude can you get?! "Sorry," she uttered, "Truthfully I was trying to find some information about this flower I found, but it seems as though your library doesn't have any information about it."

Toffee raised his eyebrow, what flower could this Mewman want to know about? "Can you describe this flower?"

"Sure, the petals were a crimson red, almost like blood, with a rustic red on the stems. What makes this flower so interesting is that it looks like a hydra with two heads. And I don't know why, but when I look at the stems, they seem to be able to be torn apart without killing the other one, if that makes any sense," Nova explained to Toffee.

"I believe I know which flower you're talking about; the flower you speak of is called 'The Blood Moon Flower'," he responded.

"The Blood Moon Flower? Why's it called that?" asked Nova.

"As the name implies, this flower only grows from the rays of the blood moon. Not much information about it has been written; in fact with very little information about it, many believe it to be a myth," Toffee explained.

"Wow... I guess we're the first to ever see a Blood Moon Flower," Nova commented.

"Hm?" questioned Toffee.

"How about when we finished dinner, I'll shamefully explain why I ended up on the West side of Mewni," she admitted sheepishly as she grab a hold of her spoon.

"Fair enough."

* * *

Once the two had finished dinner, Nova grabbed her bag and sat near the fireplace with Toffee by her side. She held her bag close to her chest, feeling kind of ashamed of herself for admitting as to why she even crossed over to the West in the first place, but maybe it was a story meant to be told.

"As the youngest princess of my family I didn't have much to do around the castle, sure I had books to read, but they were more exclusive to my older sister. If anything I was becoming a 'Rubber Stamp Princess' with all the etiquette lessons they were giving me to be wedded to a prince I don't even know. At least they allow me to spend time with the princes to see if they're suitable to my liking, but honestly," she paused, "They don't; none of them aren't 'princely' enough to even be considered princes." Nova soon realized she was rambling about her personal thoughts rather than her reasons for being across the border set centuries ago. "Sorry for rambling Toffee," she muttered, holding her bag closer to her chest.

"It's quite alright," he responded, surprising the young princess, "I'd imagine the life of a royal can be very stressful for you and one must speak their mind in order to feel better."

"Thanks Toffee," Nova gratefully said as she felt a weight being lifted off of her shoulders. "To make a long story short, I explore Mewni to discover the secrets of this beautiful land and share it with my family and people. Of course, I've already finished the Eastern side of Mewni."

"So you decided to cross over and that's when you found the Blood Moon Flower and got yourself chased by Mewni wolves," he completed her sentence.

Nova shamefully nodded as she dug into her bag and pulled out the flower, surprisingly in perfect condition.

"Intriguing," the lizard man commented.

"Is this the first time you've ever seen a Blood Moon Flower Toffee?"

"Indeed it is, you certainly weren't lying when the petals resemble the color of blood," he commented, eventually getting up from the floor, "Come along."

"Where are we going?" she questioned as she got up from the floor to follow him.

"It's not healthy to keep a flower out of soil, the quicker we get it properly planted, watered, and fed, chances are we can have more time to study it. Besides, there's one more room you have yet to see of this castle."

"You mean to tell me that the tour didn't end at the library?"

"I would have told you, but that would have broken your concentration," he chuckled as she looked away from him while blushing.


	8. Chapter 7

The lizard man and Mewman walked down the halls of the castle, wondering to the final room of the castle tour.

Nova was still a little crossed with Toffee for not telling her that the tour of the castle didn't end at the library, but at the same time she couldn't be too upset with him since her own curiosity got the better of her and drove her to do research, so she appreciates his patience with her.

Finally the two arrived to a pair of large doors decorated differently from all the other doors Nova had seen. The doors were colored a mellow green with dark green vines swirling around the corners.

"I normally don't let guest approach this room," Toffee commented as he placed his hands on the handles, "But I'll make an exception." He opened the doors to reveal an indoor green house with all sorts of flowers and vegetation growing in separate parts of the green house. Vines dropped from the ceiling and twirled around the pillars of the room as well as decorate themselves down the wall.

"Whoa, this place is so... so... beautiful," gasped Nova, taking in the beautiful scenery.

"I often stay here most of my winters," Toffee confessed, but looked at her, "However this year I have to attend to other matters."

"Oh, sorry if I ruined your winter," apologized Nova.

"It's fine, sometimes it can be rather dull with no company," he admitted.

Nova smiled at the lizard man's words and watched him as he walked over to a table and grabbed a single pot. "Aren't you going to need two?" asked Nova.

"You're holding one flower Nova, I doubt a second pot holder is needed."

"But I have a theory; you see, I don't think this flower is in bloom. If I give you the other flower that grows with it, I have a feeling it'll bloom," she confessed.

At first, Toffee thought it was an obscure theory, but even he was curious; could she be right about this flower's constant bud-like form. "Alright, I'll get the second pot holder ready."

While the lizard man prepared the second pot, Nova had carefully split the two flowers apart, giving the other half to Toffee. "Here you go."

Upon touching it, a red glow emitted from both Toffee and Nova's flower as the bud bloomed into magnificent flowers. Once the flower was open, small glowing balls of light came out of the center of the flower and into the air.

"Whoa," gasped Nova, unable to say a single sentence about the tremendous event that just unfolded.

"Intriguing," Toffee commented as he looked at the flower, "Looks like your theory was correct Nova."

"I couldn't have done it without you though," she admitted, "If I was on my own, I would have never known that this flower blooms with someone you care about."

The lizard man averted his gaze from his flower and to the Mewman girl. "You... care about me?"

"But of course, I know we've only known each other for a day but we're still friends," she responded as she walked over to his side next to the pots.

The lizard man's face couldn't help break into a small smile as he reverted his attention to the table. "You're very kind Nova," he confessed as he petted her on the head, "Now let's get these plants potted."

"Right."

* * *

 _"The Blood Moon Flower grows once every fifteen years under the rays of the blood moon, however this flower cannot bloom on it's own. When one person finds the two headed flower, they must give it to someone they really care about. Once given to that said person, the flowers will bloom and release red glowing balls of light,"_ Nova wrote in her journal, eventually eyeing the freshly planted flower that was near the window, _"This reaction could be due to the trust between these two people or something even deeper. Scientist have yet to know about this new flower."_

So much has yet to be discovered about the flower that she and Toffee decided to study it together; it will give them an opportunity to spend time with each other besides meal times, not to mention it felt nice to have someone help her in her quest for knowledge.

Once Nova was finished with her notes for the day, she closed up her book and dragged herself to bed. Cuddling under the warm sheets for the night, or so she thought. Hearing the storm outside Nova's eyes stared at the window to the storm getting intense. She hopped out of bed, grabbed a candle and walked off to the study hall where she grabbed a stool, sat a top of it as she watched the storms swirl its powerful snow.

Nova had always enjoyed the beauty of nature, from it's calming flow of water through the river steam, to it's raging rapids. Something about it brought the young Mewman princess to peace; perhaps giving her hope that there is a better world for her people and natives of this land. She just wish she knew how to help her people, the natives, and most importantly how to help Toffee.

"You're still awake?" asked a voice from behind her, scaring the daylights out of her. Only to calm down when she saw it was only Toffee.

She nodded. "The storm got loud and I decided to watch how 'bad' it'll get," she confessed as she turned her direction towards the window.

"Mind if I joined you?" he questioned.

Nova looked back at him and smiled, giving him a nod as she got up from her stool and adjusted his high chair to be in the direction of the window. Once he was seated, she was about to return to her stool, but Toffee had asked her if she would like to sit next to him. She gladly accepted and cuddled carefully next to her lizard friend, watching the winter storm that locked them in the castle.


	9. Chapter 8

Eventually morning had arrived upon the castle and neither Nova or Toffee moved from their spot, nor did they stir from their slumber. All night the two stayed at each other's side, watching the snow storm and enjoying each other's company. Soon the warmth between the two and the howling winds lulled them to sleep, not bothering to leave the comforts of the high chair.

Nova was the first of the two to wake up, finding herself next to a sleeping Toffee in his high chair. She blushed as she heard every beat of his heart, but grew more comfortable with every pulse. Upon looking up at his neck, she realized that she didn't change his bandages last night! Mentally, the Mewman princess was slapping herself for not remembering something so vital to care taking. As much as she wanted to stay in her friend's presence, she knew she was going to need to get up to change those bandages. Carefully slipping away from him, Nova got off the chair and wondered off to get warm water, scissors and new bandages.

Once she came back with her needed supplies, she noticed something that made her a little uneasy as she approached the high chair. If Toffee was still asleep, she would have to take off his shirt herself. The thought of seeing the muscles again didn't bother her as much, but the thought of stripping him down herself made her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment; what'll happen if Toffee wakes up to find his friend stripping him of his shirt? Would they're friendship be tattered? Would the next few weeks be awkward for the two of them? Questions kept running through Nova's mind, but immediately slapped herself for thinking such things.

 _"Get a hold of yourself, Nova! You're taking care of him and he knows it, of course he's not going to think bad of you,"_ she thought as she placed the supplies aside and faced herself in front of the Lizard man. Reaching for the first button she had the feeling of uncertainty rise up again, but shook off the feeling as she quickly and gently unbuttoned the Lizard Man's shirt, soon revealing his bandaged abdomen.

Too worried to continue, Nova stopped for a moment and looked up at the sleeping Lizard man to see if there were any signs of him waking up, to her relief Toffee was still sleeping. Once she felt comfortable again, she proceeded to move his shirt sleeves down to reveal his broad shoulders, feeling the strong textures of his muscles. At the moment, Nova noticed what she was doing and felt herself flinch with embarrassment, immediately looking up to see if her actions may have stirred up the Lizard man. To her relief once more, he was still asleep, but as she looked longer at his face, Nova grew mesmerized by his face. Unconsciously she placed her hands upon his cheeks, feeling Toffee's smooth scales with her thumbs. Perhaps it's the 'Hero Worship' talking, but Toffee did look... handsome to the Mewman princess; whether it be the way he looks or the way he acted, Nova couldn't help but feel attracted to Toffee; tempted to kiss him even.

Her daydreaming had come to an end once she remembered the only reason she was in this situation in the first place; she wasn't there to gawk at his features, she's suppose to replace the bandages dang it! Grabbing the scissors, she carefully cut off the old bandages and started washing the wounds again, trying not to get distracted by how firm built he was. Seriously, she wondered what he did to become so buff? How much does he lift? Was he a lumberjack, or soldier in the making?

 ** _"FOCUS NOVA!"_** she mentally screamed at herself as she finished cleaning the last wound, reaching for the bandages and wrapping them around the wounds. Once she was done, she quickly adjusted Toffee's shirt onto his body and buttoned it up, feeling a sense of satisfaction that she didn't get caught. Now all she had to do was wait for her friend to wake up. She was thinking about getting back to her cozy little corner of the high chair, but seeing that it's morning already, Nova decided to go back to her room and change into something more appropriate for her time in the castle.

* * *

After a quick wash up, Nova started walking back to the study hall with her new found warmth. She was dressed in a plain golden dress over a bright yellow long sleeved blouse with brown tights, topped off with a pair of boots made with the fur of what Nova assumed was the Western version of a bear, either way, they were a very comfortable and warm fit. Approaching the study hall, she walked over to the high chair and sat back into her cozy corner only to feel Toffee's tail warp to her side, revealing to the Mewman he was awake at last.

"Morning Sleepy Scales," she chirped.

"And a good morning to you," he responded, stretching before getting out of the chair.

"So, what's on the agenda?" she questioned as she watched him leave the Study Hall and quickly followed after him.

"Other than getting properly cleaned and dressed? I'm afraid there isn't much for me but to recover," he responded.

"Oh," was all that escaped Nova's mouth, "Well... uh... when you're decent, let me know so I can patch up those wounds with new bandages. I'll be outside your room waiting, so don't worry about me taking a peek."

 _"So much for changing the bandages at the appropriate time,"_ Nova thought to herself.

He nodded as he pushed the door to his room open, but stopped at the door way. "I must say Nova," Toffee spoke, grabbing her attention, "You have pretty soft hands for someone who researches most of the time."

At first, Nova didn't quite understand his statement, but after a few seconds passed did red light up her face. "Y-You were awake the whole time?!" she realized as she watched Toffee entered his room chuckling, "You conniving-"

The door slammed shut in front of her face before she could even finish her sentence.

* * *

 **After a few months of being in a slight hiatus, I finally got to this story only to find that this story has over 2,000+ reads now, my goodness guys! I know I've said it once, but I'll say it again, thank you all so much for all these reads.**


	10. Chapter 9

Nova huddled against the wall outside of Toffee's room, blushing at his words, is he really serious or was he just playing with her emotions? Does he enjoy teasing her for her squeamish nature? It's not like she can control it; after all, she's never seen a half naked man before, let alone a half-naked monster, one that not only has a great build but also saved her life. Maybe he knows she's suffering from 'Hero's Worship' and is just having fun with it. Yeah! That's got to be it! Once the months pass by we'll be nothing more than acquaintances when spring arrives.

Soon Nova heard knocking from the other side of the door, jumping out of her thoughts and up from her huddled position. Standing at the door she reached for the handle, but stopped once she realized she doesn't have the right to enter his room. Sure, the previous time was because she was curious as to where he was, but now, now she really **REALLY** needs his permission to enter his room. "Permission to enter?" she asked, worried she might walk in on him.

"You have permission," his voice rang from the other side.

Nova pushed the door opened to see the lizard man sitting near his desk, dressed in nothing more than pants, drying off his hair with a towel. However, the thing that caught her attention wasn't the beast's bare body, but the equipment on his desk. Gears, springs and screws lay a top the surface of the wooden desk covered with blue prints to what, she doesn't know.

"Well Doc," teased the lizard man, bring the Mewman back to reality, "How bad is it?"

"Oh. Umm," Nova looked back at Toffee's injuries and couldn't believe what she was seeing, "On a Mewman this recovery would've taken at least a week, but you're recovering a lot faster than I thought."

"That's a Septarian for you," he boasted, causing Nova to chuckle.

"If you don't mind me asking; what's a Septarian doing here in Mewni? Surely your dimension doesn't suffer with winter storms as harsh as these," questioned Nova as she proceeded to clean and cover up his wounds.

"You left the comforts of your castle to seek knowledge didn't you?" he asked her, receiving a very confused nod from the Mewman, "Well there's your answer."

"Cryptic," she grumbled, only to get a smirk from the lizard man, "Very cryptic." Once she was done with the bandages she backed off from him and sat a top his bed, watching him pick the shirt of the day. She couldn't help but look at all those things on his desk, would it be rude to ask what they're for? Curiosity getting the best of her she started, "Toffee," grabbing the Septarian's attention, "What's with all the gears and stuff?"

"When I'm not researching, chances are I might be tinkering," he responded, while buttoning up his shirt.

"Is tinkering one your other jobs in Septarsis?" wondered Nova.

"It's more of a hobby," he admitted, "Gives me something to do."

"Is there anything you like to make in particular?"

The Septarian remained silent for a short amount of time, until he finally broke the silence with the words, "Music boxes."

"Why?" was all the Mewman could respond with. Sure, there was nothing wrong with music boxes, but someone as masculine as Toffee building music boxes seems a little... odd.

"Something about them is relaxing; from the way they're constructed, to the melody they play."

Nova never thought of it that way; true the way music boxes work has always boggled her mind, and the melodies are always either relaxing, heartwarming, or even heartbreaking. Could it be that there's more to the Septarian than he's letting on? Could there be damage that's beyond healing, and the only remedy to sooth his suffering was building music boxes? Either way, she better end this conversation before things get too deep for his liking. "I bet your music boxes look beautiful," she complimented, bringing a small smile on the Septarian's face, "I'd like to see one of your music boxes one day."

"Perhaps," he responded while combing his hair back. Once he put the comb down, he got out of his seat and walked towards the door, "Well, we mustn't waste another day shall we?"

Nova nodded, getting up out of the bed and followed after him soon after.

* * *

After watching Toffee get dressed, him and Nova went to the kitchen to cook up something to eat. Nova, as usual, had her notepad and pencil at work as she observed more of Toffee's cooking patterns. "Are you certain you don't want me to help?" asked Nova.

"I'm certain," he responded, scrambling the eggs in a cooking pan.

Nova pouted, she really wanted to help the Lizard Man, but knew he was too stubborn to accept help from her. She secretly wonders if it was because he really is being considerate or if it was because she was a Mewman. Then again, she couldn't blame him; Monsters and Mewmans have had bad blood for centuries and counting, that and she was a bit of a dunce when it comes to cooking. One time she was trying to bake a cake for her father and ended up giving him food poisoning because she put too many unnecessary ingredients. Maybe it was for the best she didn't help the Septarian after all.

The Septarian knew the Mewman was a little disappointed, but if she insisted, who was he to refuse his guest. "You want to help right?" he asked, receiving an excitable nod from her, "Could you please get the plates for me, it seems to have slipped my mind while I was getting the ingredients for breakfast."

Nova nodded, putting her pencil and notepad down and walking over to the cabinet, grabbing two plates for breakfast. Toffee may be an interesting subject to observe, but it was more fun to interact with him than sitting down.


End file.
